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Company Check List

The company name

Firstly, choose a company name and then check if it is available using our checking service.Searching a limited company, make sure it ends with “Limited” or “LTD” and if a public limited company, make sure it ends with “Public Limited Company” or “PLC”. You must do this to start your company registration and avoid trying to register a name already in use.

More often than not, your initial name search should provide a full listing of any similar names in connection with that of your search.

Company type to intended business activity

To register your company, you will need to choose from one of these company categories:

Limited (this is the most popular for trading companies)

Limited by Guarantee (for not-for-profit, charities, companies run by a ‘group’ of people)

The registered office address

The registered office address is the official address of the company and the one that will be used in the first instance by the Company Registration Office for sending official documentation. Your registered office address will be in the public domain and must be used on all company websites and printed on all company stationary. Note, however, that the registered office address cannot be a post office address, a post office box or similar, and it has to be located in the same country as your registered company.

Should you wish to protect your privacy, you might want to make use of our registered office serves as a substitute address.

Information on the company directors

A company director assumes responsibility for managing company and business operations as well as supervising the day-to-day running of the company. It is a legal requirement that you have at least one director who must be aged 18 years or older and you also must provide the following information in connection with their directorship: their full name, date of birth, nationality, occupation, service and residential addresses. You may also, at some stage,be asked to provide identity documentation to support this information.

Information on the company secretary

A company secretary is primarily responsible for the administration of the company and for the timely submission of the confirmation statement (previously called the “annual return”) and other essential documents to Companies House. You do not have to appoint a ‘separate’ company secretary, as a director of the company can, and for smaller companies often do act as the company secretary. Whether you choose to appoint a company secretary who is already designated as a director or otherwise not an existing appointee of the company, you must provide the following information: their full name, date of birth, nationality, occupation, service and residential addresses. You may also, at some stage, need to provide identity documentation to support this information.

Share holder and share information

A shareholder, in essence,owns part of a business by purchasing shares in a company. However, they have no involvement in the day-to-day running of a company unless they are appointed as a director. Importantly, a shareholder who is also a director will be obliged to manage their roles independently from each other. In essence,a director must not be seen to directly influence the value of shares in any way to the benefit of others or to demonstrate activities that might be construed as insider dealing.

You must have at least one shareholder, whether or not a director of the company, and also provide the following information.Their full name, date of birth, nationality, service and residential addresses and three security details, at least one of which confirms identity (for example, a passport) and one of which assures residence (a utility bill or personal tax notice).